The Rangers likely would have preferred to get some of his free agent years as part of the deal, but that was probably a long shot given that Andrus is represented by Scott Boras. In the meantime, it’s nice to have some cost certainty with a very talented shortstop.

9:18 PM: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com are reporting that the Rangers and Elvis Andrus have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a three-year contract, pending a physical.

Terms aren’t yet available, but the new deal will cover all of his arbitration seasons and set him up for free agency following the 2014 season. Andrus, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, filed for $3.6 million and was offered $2.65 million when arbitration figures were exchanged last month.

Already one of the better defensive shortstops in the sport, the 23-year-old Andrus owns a .271/.340/.343 batting line over his first three seasons in the majors. He batted .279/.347/.361 with five home runs, 60 RBI, 37 stolen bases, 96 runs scored and a .708 OPS in 2011.